When it comes to leadership and giving back to her community, there is not much that Teresa Martinez has not done.
Arriving in Polk County in the early 1970s as an exile from the oppressive communist regime in Cuba, Martinez has made her mark on our county in numerous ways. After 12 years as a language teacher with the public school system, she founded the Institute of Spanish Communication Inc. in 1989. ISC is the publisher of the ¡Viva Polk! Magazine, the only print Spanish media published and distributed throughout the county.
She is the author of “Success in Exile – Five Decades of Cuban Stories, a bilingual short story book about the lives of 25 Cuban families and their struggles to flee the island. Martinez is the producer and host of “Hablemos” (Let’s Talk) on WQXM RITMO 99.9 FM and 1460 AM. She is one of the founders and directors of the Lakeland Institute for Learning, a school dedicated to special-needs students that opened its doors in July 2015.
LEESBURG With his red cheeks and light brown bangs, Andrew Brinkley s fresh face belies his wisdom.
After earning his degree in 2020, the Lake-Sumter State College graduate was offered a job in the school s admissions office. Brinkley also was trained in a new role that was created last summer after LSSC saw its student population decline as COVID-19 pandemic caused upheaval in all levels of education.
Brinkley is an enrollment coach. Having been a first-time college student myself, I put myself in their shoes and explain things, give them that perspective, Brinkley said.
An enrollment coach doubles as the eyes and ears for students entering an unfamiliar, sometimes complicated admissions process that can resemble a labyrinth. It s a maze of paperwork, all with rapidly approaching deadlines, that can leave a student lost, not to mention dazed and confused.
Jordan Buscarini
The USU Eastern Lady Eagles volleyball team will begin the new season where it ended in 2020: nationally ranked inside the top 20.
Receiving 66 points, the Lady Eagles will start the season ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA poll. USU Eastern is one of three teams from the Scenic West Athletic Conference ranked in the initial poll. Reigning league champion Snow College will begin No. 6 while Salt Lake comes in right behind the Lady Eagles at No. 13.
“We are so excited to find ourselves on the national pre-season rankings and to have received that respect from voters throughout the country,” said head coach
Polk County residents were left frustrated Friday morning when Florida Department of Health in Polk County s COVID-19 vaccine hotline appeared to have crashed in less than an hour.
The health department s designated number (863-298-7500) opened at 8 a.m. Friday, and by 8:30 a.m. resulted in a busy signal or prerecorded Verizon message saying Your call cannot be completed as the party is temporarily unavailable.
The hotline went live Friday morning to allow seniors age 65 and older to schedule vaccination appointments for next week. There were 400 slots available for Jan. 13, according to health department spokeswoman Nicole Riley.
Late Friday, the county announced the hotline will be open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In the future, the hotline will be accept calls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.